Labor groups slam KL over worker ban

Labor groups slam KL over worker ban

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Labor activists and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) staged
a protest in front of the Malaysian Embassy on Jl. Rasuna Said,
Kuningan, South Jakarta on Tuesday, criticizing the Malaysian
government for treating Indonesian workers unfairly.

They also called on Indonesian workers in Malaysia to go
on a three-day mass strike to protest the Malaysian governmentUs
plan to stop recruiting Indonesians and halve the number of
registered Indonesian workers there following violent clashes
with local police authorities.

"The Malaysian governmentUs plan to cut the number of
Indonesian workers by half is unfair and is a form of
discrimination that is against universal principles of human
rights," Consortium for Indonesian Migrant Workers Defense
(Kopbumi) Executive Secretary Wahyu Susilo said during the
protest.

Arriving at the embassy at around 12:30 p.m., the
protesters demanded that the Malaysian abandon its plan to
repatriate Indonesian workers, revoke policies halting the
recruitment of Indonesian workers and stop violence against
Indonesians perpetuated by Malaysian authorities.

They also called for a dialog between the Indonesian
government and the Malaysian government to resolve the labor
dispute in accordance with universal principles of human rights.

"The migrant worker dispute shows that bilateral
relations between Indonesia and Malaysia are in crisis. The
Malaysian government also feels that it has legitimate reasons to
deport thousands of Indonesian migrant workers in the country,"
Wahyu said.

The protest, which was later joined by activists from the
Jakarta Legal Aid (LBH Jakarta), came just two days after
Malaysia unveiled a plan to halve the number of Indonesian
workers following violent clashes with the police.

Meanwhile, Vice President Hamzah Haz looked set to visit
Malaysia over the labor crisis, but the government played down
speculation that the issue could jeopardize diplomatic ties
between the two countries.

Minister of Manpower and Transmigration Jacob Nuwa Wea
told reporters after a one-hour meeting with Hamzah at the
latterUs office on Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan, Central Jakarta on
Tuesday that the Vice President would depart in the very near
future, although a fixed date had not yet been determined.

Jacob was abruptly summoned by the Vice President for a
consultation as the labor crisis appeared to reach the point of
no return now that only a top government level talks could settle
the issue beyond doubt.

"I have briefed the Vice President about the chronology
of what happened out there and I thought he understood very well.
I hope he can visit Malaysia to discuss the problem as well as
other bilateral matters," Jacob said.

The minister is expected to accompany the Vice President during
the Malaysian trip.

"We cannot determine the date yet as we are still seeking
more advice from our embassy in Malaysia," Jacob said.

According to Malaysian authorities, there are currently
around 900,000 registered Indonesian workers in the neighboring
country, but Manpower Ministry data reveals there are only some
568,000 Indonesian migrant workers in Malaysia.

Indonesian workers working overseas contributed US$2.6
billion to the countryUs foreign exchange earnings, $61.4 million
of which comes from those working in Malaysia.

Jacob said tens of thousands more Indonesian workers had
entered Malaysia illegally.

RI regret the incidents in Malaysia, but the Malaysian
governmentUs decision to deport 450,000 Indonesian workers is
also regrettable.

"We are of the same ethnic group. They are in need of
manpower and we need jobs, so it must be difficult to send that
many workers home," Jacob said.